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The Vulcan (Birmingham) gets melted; say hello to 105.5 WERC

whit979

whit979

Another radio industry Web site is reporting that Clear Channel is flipping 105.5 The Vulcan/Birmingham to a simulcast of NewsRadio 960 WERC.
 
Does not surprise me, since they have been going down in the last 3 books, presently at 1.9. I'm just glad I can get Rocket 95.1 here. Will this be the final nail in the coffin for 101? My opinion is Crawford is too hard headed to flip 101.
 
If this is all true, then it doesn't surprise me either considering how Vulcan failed to lived up to be another "X". Remember that Vulcan was born because Citadel dumped X for JOX in late '06. The active rock lending playlist and the weak signal coverage is probably what turned off of what was left of The X's audience over the last few years.

This flip might spiked Live 100.5 or Rock 99.5's ratings a little in the short term.
 
I would post the link to the Web site where I read this, but I think it's one of those that Radio-Info blocks from being posted. I will add that this site is already showing off the new "105.5 WERC" logo.
 
ALRocker said:
Does not surprise me, since they have been going down in the last 3 books, presently at 1.9. I'm just glad I can get Rocket 95.1 here. Will this be the final nail in the coffin for 101? My opinion is Crawford is too hard headed to flip 101.
Click to expand...

Another talk station...just what we need. ::) "Vulcan's" move to talk wasn't that unexpected. It hasn't been that long since Clear Channel pulled classic rock off Tuscaloosa's WRTR and replaced it with a simulcast of WACT.

Once WERC moves to FM, that'll makes 5 talk stations in Birmingham (if you include the WYDE-AM simulcast). WYDE doesn't have too much further it can go on that downward spiral; they're only pulling a fraction of their original audience following the rebirth of "The Source" a few months ago. Crawford might try the classic hits format again. After all, "Legends 1260" and "The Source" have come and gone...and come again. Sounds crazy, but when does anything Crawford ever undertakes make any sense?

[EDIT-unauthorized promotion]
 
hulkhogan said:
Apparently the flip occured today. www.1055thevulcan.com now is directly linked to the new "Talk Radio 105.5" website! This means NO new rock station in Birmingham.
Click to expand...

The talk format is now on, and the Vulcan is no more. The stereo has been pulled off, too, just as it was when WRTR in Tuscaloosa went talk a few months ago. Wonder if the calls will be changed to WERC-FM in the not so distant future.


[EDIT-unauthorized promotion]
 
I was driving through the 'Ham earlier today on my way back to Baton Rouge, and was comparing 100.5 (with a real living-breathing DJ** / great music / great processing) and 105.5 (whatever / whatever / whatever). Last check of the Vulcan was maybe around 2:00pm. IIRC it was still bad robo-rock at that time. Makes one wonder if they even bothered to load a "last song" into the automation.

**Reg's show this morning proved that live radio is still... alive. If you missed the 10am start of his show, he was pretty hot that someone had removed one of his CD players for last night's remotes, and thus was reduced to doing his show with one unit. Took him several breaks until he found it. Funny as heck; he recovered nicely and did a good show. You BHM folks are lucky to have him.
 
That's great and awesome. Hope this new station will have success.

Wish my hometown had a FM Conservative Talker, that would combat this "Civil Rights Talk" and help bring some real change to my community. However, I don't see us getting one anytime soon.

Oh well, it doesn't hurt to dream for this.

R.D.P. <><
 
hulkhogan said:
Apparently the flip occured today. www.1055thevulcan.com now is directly linked to the new "Talk Radio 105.5" website! This means NO new rock station in Birmingham.
Click to expand...

I think that Rock 99.5 may include more newer rock into their playlist, possibly going from classic rock to active rock in the process. I don't know if they would actually do that so don't mistake my opinion for fact. Live 100.5 is also going to get some new listeners out of Vulcan's demise since those two stations are about the closest to Vulcan's format at the moment.
 
Is anybody suprised by the lack of success for the Vulcan? After all it's Clear Channel. They put very little resources into any rollout and expect their world class SVPP's to make chicken salad out of these stations. How much money did they spend with Vulcan, trying to save money with the format and expecting sizable revenues from the frequency. Who is smoking what?
 
Doctor_Technical said:
I was driving through the 'Ham earlier today on my way back to Baton Rouge, and was comparing 100.5 (with a real living-breathing DJ** / great music / great processing) and 105.5 (whatever / whatever / whatever). Last check of the Vulcan was maybe around 2:00pm. IIRC it was still bad robo-rock at that time. Makes one wonder if they even bothered to load a "last song" into the automation.

**Reg's show this morning proved that live radio is still... alive. If you missed the 10am start of his show, he was pretty hot that someone had removed one of his CD players for last night's remotes, and thus was reduced to doing his show with one unit. Took him several breaks until he found it. Funny as heck; he recovered nicely and did a good show. You BHM folks are lucky to have him.
Click to expand...
Reg's Coffee House is the most pretentious piece of crap on the radio.
 
Does anyone think some other station may try modern rock again in the Ham? It's been all over the dial- 105.9, 107.7, 100.5, 105.5.
 
After I saw the Fox6 story about Vulcan flipping, the first thing that came to my mind was the end of 101 (as a talker). My opinion is flip to Oldies, not their previous classic hits format. Neither Bhm or Hsv has a city grade Oldies station, and could possibly be a player in both markets. Or... Instead of Legends 1260.... Legends 101.1. Then again. as oldies they could call themselves "The Legendary WYDE"

As for rock, Cox could flip New Country 97.3 to rock.

But, once again, with big talkers like Glenn Beck and Rush, I don't think 101 will have much of a chance, my guess is a flip by the end of the year.

Travis
 
TALLRED said:
I don't think 101 will have much of a chance, my guess is a flip by the end of the year.
Click to expand...


That'd be my guess, also. IMO, the folks at Crawford would have fared better just leaving the original "Source" talk format, trying to tweak it instead of putting the classic hits format in its place (and the three on-air names within a week, too, ::)). When WYDE did an about face and went back to talk (with the "Source" name, no less), no one really cared about returning. My wife has a friend of hers who was livid when WYDE dropped the talk format. When my wife told her "The Source" was back, she said she'd try it out but now she mostly listens to WAPI. I think most of WYDE's original "Source" listeners moved on to WAPI or WERC and never looked back. At least that's the indication from the ratings, which hardly resemble the ones from two years ago. Last I remember WYDE's 12+ numbers were less than a share (somewhere around .6) and I believe that has dropped, too, from a slightly higher figure when the "Source" was first resurrected. With WERC on FM now, it'll most likely finish WYDE off, as far as the talk format goes.

What's next for WYDE? "Legends"..."The New 101"..."Star 101"..."Fun 101"...it's anybody's guess. Most of the time Crawford just swaps the stations' formats and calls with each other (or recycles them), anyway. I figure that some sort of christian talk and/or music will show up on the frequency, with maybe some or all of WXJC's christian programming landing on the "Soon-To-Be-Reinvented 101.1 FM".


[EDIT-unauthorized promotion]
 
i hear so many people say that "the vulcan had so much potential" just like the bear and all those stations that appealed to the dissaffected youth or near youth or wasted youth that had never grown up.

there is a reason those stations failed. money. if you appeal to the people listed above there isn't a lot of money going to be spent with your advertisers. beer and ciggies don't advertise heavily on radio (ciggies not at all) and they have yet to legalise pot so there is no advertising dollars there.

radio is a business and when they can't make money with a format they change it. am i sad that rush limbaugh is more popular than audioslave or beck (the group not glenn)? not at all. i couldn't listen to the old 105.5 (back a year ago before they dropped all the classic rock in) without getting ill. i can't stay angry that long and the guitars were so distorted they sounded like chan saws sorely in need of oil.

101 would do well with a real classic rock sound. not just the 70's but 50's 60's 70's and some 80's. fun rock for happy people. that'd sell advertising.
 
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